I recently purchased my 1st String of Dolphins. (I should have taken a "before" picture, but it's too late now) It was all jumbled up, tangled…just a straight-up mess. As gently as possible, I straightened everything out. I discovered half of the strands weren't even rooted and a significant portion of the rest weren't attached to the soil by living tissue. (I did leave some of those to take pictures of for advice on whether I should snip and prop) Can I get some advice on the best way forward? I have quite a bit ready to be propped, for which I could also use some tips for the best way to do it. Any advice/suggestions would be very much appreciated.
by Wise-Leg8544
3 Comments
String will “bald” at the top as the older leaves are dying and that’s normal. What it looks like they did was cut the ends to fill in that bald spot as you can see little roots on some of them. Sometimes they do that or just curl the ends into the pot for more growth. I do it this way where I cut and just throw them in the top and they’ll grow more roots. The base could use a bit of cleaning so these can root easier. I’d just put them back and keep caring for them like you usually would. They’ll prop and create a fuller plant. Good luck!
I prop my strings in soil rather than water, and keep that soil damp and the air HUMID. I’m talking my string props live in a makeshift greenhouse where the temp and relative humidity both stay around 75°/%. I’ve never failed a string prop that way and they grow quick. I use a regular succulent soil mix and I set the props on top/ends slightly pushed under about 1″(or less) of soil. The thin layer of soil is important because it’ll dry more evenly/consistently, meaning you can maintain the moisture level more consistently. I typically chop mine to bits because I want more plants lol so sections with 3-4 nodes and 2-3 leaves if I have long strings like yours. They’re under a grow light 12 hours a day and other than making sure they stay moist I just ignore them and they grow. Good luck with yours!!
literally just stick it in the dirt. maybe remove the bottom two dolphins so you have stem to actually stick in.
you’ll want 60/40 grit to soil for this plant. water by drenching and letting excess flow out the bottom.
they are ridiculously easy to propagate. My robot vacuum sucked up a bunch of the strings and spit the little stem pieces all over the house. I just stuck all the stems in the dirt. Now I have twice as many.